Taking Charge
by Nyteflyer35
Summary: Another "Harry takes charge of his own life" story. Hopefully a little different to all the others that are on this site. Remus and the Golden Trio head to a secret location for training after Harry puts his foot down with Dumbledore and takes over managing his life and ensuring his future.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"No," Harry said bluntly and adamantly.

"I beg your pardon?" Dumbledore said, as if he had never heard the word before.

"I said 'no'. I will not be returning to the Dursley's _loving care_ this summer. Or ever again," Harry replied.

Professor Dumbledore had just had Harry come to his office to advise that he would have to stay at the Dursley's for the whole summer this year, as they didn't believe it would be safe for him to go to the Burrow with Voldemort and his Death Eaters being fully active again. As soon as he had finished, Harry had stopped and his face had gone hard, his gaze cold. Then he just firmly told him 'no'.

Dumbledore arranged his features into a kindly, wise expression and shook his head gently. "I'm afraid, my boy, that you will have to return, for the protection of the wards, you understand."

Harry snorted. "Protection? Just what are they protecting me from? The Death Eaters? Voldemort himself? Considering that Voldemort took my blood to resurrect himself, and was then able to touch me without causing himself any pain in the graveyard, I hardly think the wards are worthy of consideration at this point. And those wards that you are so fond of, do nothing to protect me from the people living in that house. No, I'm sorry Professor Dumbledore, with all due respect, I will _not_ be returning to that house. I have never considered it my home and I never will. For that reason alone, I don't believe the wards were ever as strong as you believed them to be."

"Harry, you will just have to accept that in matters concerning your safety, I know considerably more than you. I do, after all, have over a hundred years of experience behind my decisions. You have to trust my judgement on this," Dumbledore said firmly.

Harry looked at the Headmaster and shook his head. "That's just it Professor. I don't trust your judgement, on this matter especially," Harry said gravely, making the old wizard look at him with shock. "I'm afraid you are going to have to face the fact that you have repeatedly made mistakes and flawed decisions where my life and well-being are concerned. You have consistently seen me as a weapon to be used at your will against Voldemort and his forces, to be kept away from everyone until you are ready to use me when the time is right. You set up tests for me here every year, to make sure I have learnt to protect myself, in what should be the 'safest place in the wizarding world'. You have never protected me when it counted and I have yet to have a normal life, either here or at the Dursley's. Your reasoning is flawed in every matter pertaining to me, and I will no longer grant you the unconditional loyalty and trust that I have previously.

"I have spoken to the goblins when I was in Gringotts last. I know now that I have many houses that are very safe where I can reside during the holidays. Several are even already covered by the Fidelius charm held in trust by the goblins, and are much safer than the Dursley's. I will select a new residence from one of those. I will also select an adult I trust to stay with me during my time away from the school. I trust you understand that this will not be you, Professor," Harry finished firmly.

Dumbledore looked at Harry, his jaw unhinged at being spoken to this way, by a child! He didn't think anyone, ever, had spoken to him like that. People just tended to agree that he knew best and he wasn't used to being questioned anymore. He watched as Harry shook his head again, more as if to clear his thoughts this time.

"Professor, I trust and respect you as the Leader of the Light and as a mentor for my studies. However, I will no longer allow you to make consistently flawed decisions about my life. I am almost 16 years old and will be returning after the summer to begin my 6th year at Hogwarts. I am no longer a child. I have had to look after myself and raise myself from the time I was left at the Dursley's – by you, I might add. I have _never_ been allowed to be a child and that certainly has not changed here at Hogwarts. The only things I learnt from the Dursleys over the years were how to duck and how to run fast to get away from either Dudley or my Uncle when they are looking to get some aggression out of their system. I refuse to be a target at the place that I am supposed to be able to call 'home'.

"You did no one a service when you dumped me on their doorstep all those years ago. You left a toddler in a basket on a doorstep in the middle of winter, with only a note to inform Aunt Petunia that her only sister had died. You made no effort to ensure that I was being looked after or cared for, and, indeed, I was not. But what did you expect? They had a perfectly normal life until you dropped me there. Aunt Petunia had made a personal choice to stay away from all the craziness that was the magical world after she lost her only sister to it. She was never comfortable with 'abnormality' and you made no effort to attempt to assimilate her to the challenges she would have to face raising a magical child. What could you possibly have expected to have happened? Of course they didn't raise me with any love or genuine caring. They had no idea how to deal with my 'freakishness' and were given no support in order to do so," Harry stopped, panting for breath after realising his voice had risen to an almost-shout.

"Professor, I apologise for my harsh words, but surely you can understand that you levelled a grave injustice on that family and on myself. You said you knew that you had sentenced me to some very unhappy years but left me there anyway. You forbade anyone from the magical world from having contact with me when said contact may have actually helped matters. I guess now we'll never know, but I'll always wonder if I might have had a happier childhood had things been done differently."

Harry returned to his seat then, not having realised he had even stood and paced throughout his previous speech. Dumbledore sat there looking at Harry, suddenly looking every one of his years, his eyes missing their customary twinkle. Harry suddenly felt bad for going off at the Headmaster the way he had, however he firmed his resolve to stand by his decision. He would not return to that house. It wasn't fair to him, and neither was it fair to the Dursley's. Although he didn't like them, he could certainly understand that they had not had any positive interactions with the magical world. First they had Harry dumped on them unexpectedly, then Hagrid gave Dudley a tail when he came to retrieve Harry. Then the exploding fireplace when the Weasley's arrived at Privet Drive, and the ton-tongue toffee that the twins had left for Dudley to find. It's no wonder they didn't trust magical people at all.

Dumbledore finally seemed to rouse himself from his stupor and leaned back in his chair. "Harry, I am unsure if this is the right decision for you, but on top of that, I don't see how you are going to be safe anywhere but there. The blood wards…." He trailed off as Harry started speaking again.

"The blood wards are not going to help, Professor. Didn't you hear me before? Voldemort can touch me now, he can hurt me with impunity. My mother's protection is nothing against him anymore since he used my blood to rebirth himself. I will state again that I categorically refuse to return to that house. I will make a new home for myself at one of my other properties. I will be safer there since Voldemort will have no idea I even know about them, let alone have access to them. He could not possibly know that I have been able to get myself emancipated, with the aid of the goblins, and access my family vaults and properties. After all," Harry said with a small smile, "I managed to keep it from you all this time."

Dumbledore startled at hearing that. "Merlin Harry! Do you have any idea what you've done? The Ministry is looking to take you out of the picture however they can. You have lost the protection that being a minor can offer you! Do you not see how foolish that was?" He gasped out in desperation.

"Where was this 'protection' when I was tried as an adult for a bout of underage magic Professor? Or when I was forced to take part in a competition that was designated solely for 'of age' competitors? Seriously, Professor? Protection? My minor status has never done anything other than harm me and limit my ability to protect myself. I now have the ability to protect myself in ways I never did before. I will use that ability to ensure that I am never victimised again. Surely you can understand my point of view?" Harry asked pleadingly. "I do respect you Professor, and I believe there is much you can still teach me, but I will not allow you to continue to put me in harm's way in some vague plan you have of making me stronger," he finished firmly.

Dumbledore looked sadly at Harry and nodded his head. "Very well, Harry, I can see you are not going to back down on this one. I will do my best to ensure that you have a happier life from now on."

Harry then looked sternly at Dumbledore. "I do not need you to ensure anything Professor. I need only for you to accept that you will have to allow me to make my own choices from now on. And no more tests at Hogwarts, are we clear? I find it hard to believe that you didn't know that Quirrell was hosting Voldemort or at least in league with him, or that you hadn't realised that one of your best friends was replaced by a polyjuiced Death Eater. How could you not have realised that they were both acting oddly when you had known them and worked with them for so many years? I also find it hard to forgive you for not even attempting to get Sirius a trial. You are the head of the Wizengamot for Merlin's sake. You can't expect me to believe that you couldn't have pushed to have this done."

Dumbledore simply sighed sadly, admitting nothing but looking shamefaced at the mention of Sirius. That was still a bone of contention between Harry and himself. He had honestly believed that Sirius was the Secret Keeper, and had been so angry at Lily and James' deaths at Sirius' hands that he had not pushed as hard as he should have, even if only to find out the reason why Sirius had betrayed his supposed best friends.

Harry gave Dumbledore a moment to think before continuing. "And I want to be begin training too. If I am to be made responsible for bringing down Voldemort, it's irresponsible of you _not_ to have been giving me training since I have been back in the wizarding world. I understand you wanted me to have time to be a child, but really, Voldemort is not willing to wait until I reach a suitable age to attempt to take me on, as evidenced by his constant attempts to kill me over the last 5 years. While I may not personally believe I have what it takes to bring him down, at least not right now, the wizarding world seems to prefer to rely on a teenager rather than fight their own battles, so I must be as prepared as possible when the time comes. I feel like I have wasted the last 5 years when I should have been preparing," Harry finished. He then calmly waited for a response from Dumbledore.

As he waited, he watched the many emotions chase themselves across his Headmaster's face. He saw sorrow, exasperation, mild anger, then resignation in quick order. At that point he knew that the Headmaster had accepted Harry's proclamation.

"Alright Harry. So where will you be staying this summer and who will stay with you?" Dumbledore asked tiredly.

"I will be staying in one of my properties in France. I will provide you with the means to contact me while I am there before I leave for the summer. And Remus will stay with me, if he accepts when I ask him, of course," Harry said gently, recognising that he had won this argument and having no reason to turn it into a more heated exchange than it had to be. He didn't want to rub the Headmaster's face in it, he just wanted him to accept that he would make his own decisions from now on.

Dumbledore looked up quickly and balked at the prospect of losing Remus' aid as an Order member. "Harry, no. I need Remus to speak to the werewolves, to try and turn them away from Voldemort. We need to rally as many allies as we can for the final battle!" He said urgently.

Harry sighed. "I understand that Professor, but the werewolves that Remus is meeting are ones that are already staying away from Voldemort, he is not making any headway with the ones that have already allied themselves with Voldemort at all. There is no point to continuing the discussions as they have made up their minds and he is unable to sway them at this late stage. Remus will do more good helping me with training, and guiding me where needed. He will be one of my greatest assets as I get ready for the confrontation with Voldemort. He is a Defence master and will be able to teach me some advanced duelling moves. He also knows how the Death Eaters fight and will be able to help me with learning to fight against them specifically. I have spoken to Tonks and Kingsley, and they have agreed to assist with my training should I need them. Obviously, as they are both full-time Aurors, they will not be going away on missions anyway, so it won't disrupt their Order duties or their liaison between the Order and the DMLE."

"Well you seem to have this all figured out Harry. I can see you hardly need my input at this stage. I will have to think on how best to provide you with training of my own. I know it may not seem like it Harry, but I really have only ever wanted the best for you. I do care for you, you know that don't you?" Dumbledore pleaded.

Harry smiled at the old man. "Of that I have never had any doubt Professor. You have always shown me that you care, and I have known that you would always look out for me, in your own way. My problem is that your interest in me seemed to be limited to keeping me strong and alive for the final battle. You seemed caught up in the "greater good" and didn't really appear to see the individuals anymore. I am hoping that we can work together from now on, to ensure that the light will come out ahead in the upcoming battle. I don't want to cut you out of my life Professor, I care for you too. I just need to know that I have someone who is looking at me and seeing _me_ , not "The Saviour", or the "Chosen One" or any other rubbish the wizarding world chooses to call me. I am just Harry, and I will do my best to defeat Voldemort, but I will not allow myself to be sacrificed for the 'greater good' or steamrolled into believing that I am to give up on my dream of a future for myself. I would like to work to make sure that I live to have a life and a family of my own and see my children come to Hogwarts one day too. That is my ultimate dream Professor," Harry said wearily.

"OK Harry, then we will work to ensure that this future happens then. I am truly sorry that I spent so much time looking at the bigger picture and that you believe I have lost sight of the fact that you are still worthy of my consideration. You are right, to an extent, in that I have spent so much time preparing for Voldemort's return that I think I just forget that the players I see on my board are actually still people. I apologise for ever making you think that you weren't important to me Harry. I never meant to do that," Dumbledore whispered.

Harry stood and went to stand beside Dumbledore, placing an arm hesitantly across the old wizard's shoulders. He gave a small squeeze and then knelt beside the chair. "I really don't want to fall out with you Professor. You have been a mentor to me for so long. I just want you to treat me with respect and take into consideration that I might actually have a good idea now and then," he smiled wryly.

Dumbledore huffed a small laugh then stood, pushing his chair back. He turned to Harry and opened his arms. Harry went into them without hesitation. Dumbledore embraced him and rested his chin on Harry's head. "I _am_ sorry Harry. I will try to do better by you from now on. On this you have my oath."

A bright glow illuminated them both briefly and Harry felt the magic wash over him. It was a powerful feeling, one he only felt when in the presence of his mentor. He hadn't realised how much he had missed that presence until now, with how Dumbledore had distanced himself from Harry in the last year. He basked in the feeling for a little while longer before gradually stepping back. Harry smiled up at the Headmaster, then turned and walked to the door to let himself out.

"Harry?" Dumbledore called out. "My door will always be open for you. Please don't hesitate to seek me out, should you need anything."

Harry looked at the Headmaster over his shoulder and gave a cheeky smile. "You got it Professor. You might regret giving me open access one day though," he said as he left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

Dumbledore gave a delighted laugh as he stood there looking at the door as Harry left. This would be a very interesting time, he mused to himself. He would have to learn to share information, something which he had always compartmentalised as much as possible within the Order. However, he understood now that Harry had as much, if not more, right to any information he could provide than anyone else he could think of in the Order. _Maybe it's time to think about inducting him into the Order too, if we're going to be actively training him from now on,_ Dumbledore thought. Yes, he would have to think about that one.

Dumbledore thought back over everything Harry had said. As he pondered the information Harry had provided tonight, he realised that he needed to change every plan he had in place, and was unsure how to go about it. He would also need to share this with Severus, as he was their spy in Voldemort's ranks and he would need to be aware to keep an ear out for any hint that Voldemort or the Death Eaters might have an idea that Harry is not at his relatives this summer. He would have to let the Dursleys know that Harry would no longer be returning there, and that they may need to look at relocating in order to protect themselves, since they would no longer have the protection of the blood wards now that Harry had denounced the house as his home. Although, to be honest, he was unsure if there had been any meaningful protection in place for the past year or so, given what Harry had said about Voldemort being able to touch him now. It's possible the wards had been weak or failing for some time and he had just not noticed with his many duties and responsibilities.

 _Oh well, time to make a list,_ he thought as he returned to his seat behind his grand desk. He popped a lemon drop into his mouth as he pondered where to start.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry slowly made his way back to Gryffindor tower, his mind on his conversation with Dumbledore. He was glad that the old wizard had listened to him eventually. He knew that Dumbledore tended to see things in black and white, evil or good. There was no in between. He also knew that Dumbledore had an inflated sense of his own infallibility. He had honestly expected the Headmaster to put his foot down and Harry to have to make a clean break from him, running away as it were in order to gain the training he so desperately needed.

Now that he had Dumbledore on his side for his future plans, he needed to also have a conversation with his two best friends. He was not looking forward to that at all. He knew that Hermione would be horrified that he had dared go against 'the great Albus Dumbledore'. He was the ultimate authority figure in their lives at the moment and Hermione was known to give unwavering respect to authority figures, never looking beyond the obvious or seeing the flaws behind their authority. She had read so much about Dumbledore before she even got to Hogwarts that she had practically deified him in her mind. Dumbledore could do no wrong simply because the books and other wizards told her so.

As for Ron, well he could go either way. He was a bit of a fair-weather friend at times, and may be extremely jealous that Harry had emancipated himself, got his hands on his family fortune and found out he had many properties that he owned. Alternatively, he could decide it was just another adventure in a long string of adventures and be happy to accompany Harry to his training. Harry had no illusions that Ron's loyalty came with a price, and it was that he wanted to be thought of as "The Harry Potter's" best friend, his loyal companion. He wanted the world to know that he was just as important as Harry. He knew that Harry didn't like all the attention and fame and would quite happily step up and take the spotlight if Harry hesitated. Harry knew that he would have to take charge of his reputation and his fame in order to gain any semblance of control, but he honestly dreaded it. Having put it off for so long now, he was unsure of how to proceed in doing so. He decided he would ask Remus about that when they got to his home for the summer. If Remus agreed to accompany him of course.

Harry looked up and, realising he was at the portrait of the Fat Lady, provided the current password, _Fortuna Maxima._ As the portrait swung open, he stepped through still pondering how to begin what was sure to be an angst-ridden conversation with his two friends. He looked up as he entered the common room and saw Hermione and Ron on the sofa in front of the fire. Hermione had her head in a massive ancient looking book as usual, Ron was eating chocolate and reading the latest Quidditch stats magazine.

"Hey guys," Harry said as he plonked into an armchair beside the sofa.

"Hey Harry," Ron mumbled around his mouthful.

Hermione just mumbled distractedly and continued reading. Harry shook his head at her and gazed at the fire for a bit, willing himself to relax.

"Do you guys want to come with me to the Room of Requirement for a bit? I have to talk to you and we need privacy for this conversation," Harry explained.

Hermione raised her head from the book and looked at Harry deeply before she sighed. "Oh Harry, what have you done now? Did you get in trouble again? You didn't blow up the Headmaster's office again, did you? Oh no, did something happen? What's going on Harry? Tell me now!" She finished desperately.

"Merlin Hermione, take a breath and chill!" Harry said firmly. "There's nothing wrong, I'm not in trouble, and I haven't done anything to Dumbledore's office. Honestly, you'd think that was all I ever did the way you carry on," he said exasperatedly. Harry shook his head again, then continued. "No, Hermione, I just want to talk to you and Ron about something. Will you please come with me?" he asked.

Hermione looked at him sceptically and then sighed. "OK, Harry, we'll come with you. Won't we, Ron?" she said pointedly.

Ron looked up again and shrugged. "Of course we will, mate. You want to go now?" he asked.

"Yes, now would be good," Harry said as he stood up. He led them through the corridors and up to the 7th floor, pacing in front of the blank wall until a door appeared. When he opened the door and ushered them in the found a very cosy room with 3 overstuffed armchairs with an end table between each. They were arranged in front of a fireplace, which was already lit. Harry sat down in the chair closest to the fire, waving the others to the remaining armchairs.

The raven-haired wizard sat for a moment, wondering how to begin. Then he looked at his friends and started. He told them about his conversation with Dumbledore, about his emancipation and about finding out about the other properties he owned. He left nothing out, including his plans for the summer. He then paused and waited for the explosion that he was certain was imminent.

He didn't have to wait long. Hermione was breathing heavily and appeared to be approaching panic. "Oh Harry, how could you be so stupid? So disrespectful to the Headmaster? How could you possibly do something this huge without even consulting me? You know very well this whole thing could have been avoided if you had just spoken to me first!" she wailed.

Harry just stared at her, trying to hold his temper back and respond without raising his voice. "Stupid? How was it stupid Hermione? I have taken control over my life for the first time since Voldemort killed my parents and Dumbledore dumped me on the Dursley's doorstep like a piece of forgotten baggage. I am through allowing everyone to make decisions for me, when those decisions have done nothing but harm me for the past 14 years! And I was not disrespectful to Dumbledore, I was calm and logical and he even ended up agreeing with me by the time we finished talking. So how was I _stupid_ or _disrespectful_ Hermione? And what on earth makes you think that you have the right to demand that I consult you about anything to do with my life?" He asked quietly but firmly.

"Well really Harry. How many times do you think things through?" she asked condescendingly, like she was speaking to a child. "That's what you have me for, isn't it? You always run things by me, and then I help come up with a plan. And I would never have come up with something like this! This is a ridiculous plan that is going to get you killed. You heard the Headmaster, he told you about the prophecy and about the protection you get from the blood wards. How could you just ignore his advice on this? I would have stopped you had I known in time. What were you thinking?" She finished stridently.

Harry's face went hard and his eyes glacial as he replied. "Hermione, you will listen to me now. You are neither my mother, my sister, nor my lover. _You_ have no say about any of the decisions that I make. I am the same age as you, I am not a younger sibling to be ordered about. We are friends, but that is also of my choosing. And do you honestly think you could have stopped me? What makes you think you should have any say about this at all? How about you stop thinking only of yourself and actually listen to me while I explain exactly what I was thinking. At the end of that, if you still think I was wrong, I will happily go my own way and leave you to yours. But I will not allow you to dictate my every action the way Dumbledore did. You and he both seem to think you have the right to control me, well I'm sorry to say that you are both very wrong. This is _my_ life, and I will do what _I_ think is best for _my_ future. The way Dumbledore was going, I wouldn't even have had a future. At least this way, if everything goes wrong and I die anyway, then I will know I have tried my hardest."

Hermione stood there, panting heavily and wide-eyed, gobsmacked that Harry had stood up to her like that. Likely that was exactly the issue, as Harry would be the first to admit he did usually go with whatever Hermione said, since it was easier than making a fuss. However he was determined to have things his way from now on. He meant what he said, if he was going to die anyway, he would do so on his own terms.

"Now," he continued calmly, "maybe you should actually listen to me for once and hear my reasoning before you continue to make a fool of yourself by speaking without knowing all the facts. After all, aren't the facts what you are all about Hermione? Or does that only count when they're written in a book by someone you don't even know?"

Ron chose that moment to speak up. "Harry, mate, I agree that you need to take control of your training and all, but you really need to lighten up on Hermione. She's only trying to.."

"Take control Ron. That's what she is trying to do. It's what she always does, since she has this unreasonable belief that she knows better than everyone because she has read more books that anyone else. Well, I think it's about time that you actually remember, Hermione, what you said in first year, when we were chasing the Philosopher's Stone. _There's more important things than books and learning._ You actually seemed to believe that at one time, but now you have gone back to being someone who believes that books are the be all and end all, simply because you believe yourself better than everyone else. No one is debating your intelligence Hermione, but there are some things you can't learn from a book.

"For instance, did you know that Dumbledore was the witness to my parent's will? A will that specifically stated that I was _never_ to be placed with the Dursleys if anything happened to my parents? In that will, which Dumbledore himself stopped the Goblins from enacting, there were multiple other choices listed as possible guardians for me if Sirius was not available to take me. He deliberately ignored the wishes of my parents to place me with the Dursleys. Now, I'm not saying that this was done maliciously. I honestly believe that Dumbledore thought I would be safer in the muggle world with the Dursleys. I believe that he didn't know exactly how horrible those years with them would be. I have to believe that, because if I thought for a moment that he knew what I would go through and did it anyway, then I would go completely mad.

"I believe that Dumbledore left me there, hoping that I would be able to have a normal life, away from the craziness that would have come from being in the wizarding world and being touted as the Boy-Who-Lived-to-be-hyphenated. However, I also know that he knew I would not be loved there. He said himself that he knew he was condemning me to 10 dark and difficult years, but he thought that the protection of the blood wards would be paramount. Unfortunately, like everyone else, he forgot to take into account that Voldemort used my blood to resurrect himself. He was able to touch me without pain in the graveyard, Hermione. You realise what that means, don't you?"

Hermione stared at Harry from where she had sunk back into her chair during his tirade. Her eyes suddenly went bright with tears. "Oh Harry, it means that the protection from your mother's sacrifice was voided when he used your blood. The wards would be next to useless against him or any of his Death Eaters that wanted in. Oh, I'm so sorry that I didn't get that Harry. I didn't give it much thought. I was so caught up in you losing Sirius and everything else that went on, that it didn't even occur to me. Is that why you did all this without even talking to us about it? Because you thought we wouldn't support you? What am I thinking, you were right. I wouldn't have supported you in this. I would have gone immediately to Dumbledore and told him what you were up to so he could stop you in time. Oh Harry, I'm so sorry, so very sorry!" Hermione broke off as she was overcome with tears of regret. She had no idea that she had slipped so far past friendship and into believing so fervently that she knew best for Harry. He was right, she was nothing but a friend to him and her input was neither required nor desired unless he asked for it. That was a somewhat bitter pill to swallow. She wasn't sure she knew how to be on an even par with anyone else. She had got so used to being the 'brains' of their little trio that it honestly didn't occur to her _not_ to feel superior to both Ron and Harry. No wonder Harry hadn't trusted her. That made her feel very petty, to be honest.

Harry stood and came over to Hermione, kneeling on the floor in front of her. "Hermione, I love you like I would love a sister if I had one, but your blind faith that Dumbledore knows best about everything pertaining to me is a weakness that you needed to work through. I am sorry for my words, I know they hurt you, but I needed to shake you up and make you think it through enough to come to the same conclusion I did. He was wrong Hermione, and I suffered for it, for 14 years. I have scars that will never heal because of the Dursleys, and I am having to work hard not to go back and let Dumbledore have it. The _only_ thing stopping me is that I know he had no idea how _much_ I suffered there. Yes, he knew it would be difficult, but he would never have thought that Petunia would allow me to be hurt there. Unfortunately, Dumbledore only sees the good in people. He believes unwaveringly in family and that they will always protect each other. He has no experience with this type of situation and so, is unable to comprehend what happened in that house.

"I didn't tell him much about that either. There is something so innocent in his beliefs that I didn't have the heart to shake his faith in humanity that much," Harry admitted sorrowfully. "I like how Dumbledore is such an optimist, but he has lost touch with some things and that is unfortunately how people like me get overlooked. That part I can't blame him for. I still look up to him as a mentor, but I no longer believe that he is the source of the solution to all of my problems. It took a lot for me to go against him, but I know that I'm right in this Hermione. I _know_ I am. And I need to know that you will support me in this, be my friend and honour my choices. Can you do that Hermione? Are you able to trust me on this and let me make my own decisions?" he asked pleadingly.

Hermione let out a sob and threw herself at Harry, hugging him so tightly that he swore he felt his ribs creak ominously. "Yes, Harry. I can do that. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that I ever made you doubt that you could trust me to have your best interests in mind. I promise I'll be a better friend from now on. I will," she vowed fervently.

They stayed that way for a while, Harry rocking Hermione gently until she calmed down. Finally, Ron cleared his throat and they broke apart slowly, only to smile wetly at each other and brush the tears from their cheeks.

Harry looked at Ron, not sure what to expect. Ron looked at Harry, his face more serious than Harry remembered it being ever before. "So, you're going away to some unknown location to train with Remus, if he agrees to go with you, and you honestly thought you would be leaving us behind? Like hell!" Ron said strongly. "Mate, you've been my best friend for years, there is no way I'm letting you go off to Merlin knows where without me. I know I've been a jealous prat before, and you have no reason to trust me now, but I'm telling you now so you know. I'll stand beside you until the end. I will not allow you to go through this on your own. I've never really given it much thought until recently, but the so-called adults in this world were wrong to put the destruction of Voldemort on your shoulders. You're just a kid Harry, it's not right that they're all hiding away waiting for you to save them all. But, since that's all we have to work with, then I'm going to learn whatever I can to help you with it. I promise you Harry, you will never have to worry about my loyalty or my support again," Ron finished. He then sat back in his chair and waited for Harry to say something.

Harry sat there on the floor staring up at Ron, his jaw dropped and his eyes wide. "Who are you and what have you done with Ron?" he finally asked, huffing a small laugh. "Honestly Ron, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. I don't know if I could get through everything without my two faithful companions beside me," he joked weakly.

Ron looked down and seemed to be thinking heavily before he responded. "I'm not blind to my faults Harry, but ever since the thing with the brains in the Ministry that night, I've been more prone to thinking things through. Took me a while, since it's not something I'm used to, but I got there. I'm not jealous anymore, simply because I can't imagine having the pressures that you do on your shoulders. I can honestly say that the price for the fame you have and that I once craved is far too high. I'm with you mate, just don't get me killed or you have to be the one to tell Mum," he finished with a sly smirk.

"Oh boy, don't even joke about that," Harry groaned. "I think I'd rather face Voldemort than your Mum when she's riled up!" Harry grinned at Ron then extended his hand. Ron took it and pulled Harry up from the floor, pulling him into a manly back-clapping hug as he did so. Harry clung to him for a moment longer. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for being on my side."

Hermione sniffled behind them and they broke apart awkwardly, shuffling their feet and looking away from each other. She couldn't hold back any longer and threw her arms around both of them, grabbing them in a tight group hug.

Harry patted her on the back and gasped, "Air, Hermione, need air!"

She let them both go and stepped back sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm just so grateful that you brought us into this with you. I'm honestly surprised that you didn't just take off and tell us later. You can't tell me you didn't at least think about doing that," she said, grinning at Harry.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, blushing and trying to look anywhere but at Hermione's knowing grin. "Yeah, alright, I might have thought about it. But I knew I would regret it if I didn't at least give you the chance to come around. I'm sorry about how I went about it, I was a bit harsh, Ron's right about that. But I knew I needed to get through to you quickly before you went off at me. Forgive me?" he asked, making huge puppy eyes at her.

"Honestly, Harry, when has that ever worked on me?" she huffed. "Yes, yes, I forgive you. Now, we need to get planning. We'll need to draw up a schedule for training, and who we need for what part of it," she said excitedly.

Harry laughed. "Hermione, don't ever change," he got out. He was so relieved to get through the hard part. He concentrated for a moment and a big area opened on the far side of the room, with a couple of desks, some bookshelves filled with defence books, and a unit with various maps included.

Hermione squealed and ran over to the new section. She started running her hands over the books, looking at the maps, and finding parchment and quill to begin making lists of spells from the various books that she wanted them to learn. Ron shook his head and looked at Harry with a resigned grin. "We better get over there before she has the whole thing planned out without our input," he said.

Harry looked at Ron gratefully. "You know, I'll need your strategy insights to be able to pull this off. You're brilliant with that stuff and I will be busy learning everything I can. I'll need you to work with Kingsley and Remus to make sure we have a solid plan. I want to take the battle to Voldemort this time, eventually. I don't want to keep waiting around for him to make his next move," Harry said.

Ron looked thoughtfully at Harry. "Alright mate, I'll do whatever I can, but I reckon you might be overestimating my strategic abilities just a tad," he chuckled ruefully. "Not sure I want you to rely that heavily on me."

Harry shook his head vehemently. "No Ron, I'm not overestimating anything, you tend to underestimate yourself a lot. Hermione's good at scheduling and learning, you're good at strategy, and I'm good at execution. Between the three of us, we make a pretty good team, I reckon," he grinned at Ron.

Ron looked at Harry, still grinning. "Reckon you might be right, mate. Guess we'll see, won't we?" With that, they joined Hermione, both grabbing some of the defence books to start going through them. Harry picked up one on bonds that can be formed between people, and another on shielding and warding. Ron picked up one of the treatises on the strategies of war. After a moment, he looked at Harry, brows raised in surprise. "Harry, this is a book about muggle wars. Why would this be here?" he asked.

"Well, I asked the room for anything that would help in planning a major battle. I reckon it must have thought this would help. Let's face it, the muggles do things differently because they don't have magic to rely on. But wizards are notoriously lazy and tend to rely on their magic to the point where they've lost a great deal of common sense and the ability to reason strategically. I know that Voldemort has Malfoy helping him, and like it or not, the man comes up with some brilliant plans. But like all other wizards, he doesn't take into account the need for a Plan B, C, D or E, just in case something goes wrong. With you helping to plan, I reckon we can do that and make sure we're prepared for any contingency," Harry said with absolute conviction.

Ron gulped audibly, giving a nervous laugh. "Right mate, no pressure then huh?" he said, his voice a bit shaky.

"Ron, I have absolute faith in your ability to think things through. Unfortunately sometimes your temper gets in the way and you rush in without thinking, but as you said, you've changed since that night at the Ministry. I'm confident that you can do this, and if I have you both there with me, I _know_ we can win. We just have to have the right plans in place. Still with me?" Harry asked, only half-joking.

Ron looked at Harry for a moment longer. "Yeah mate, still with you. Right, tuck in boys and girls, we got a war to plan!" he said, giving them his trademark goofy grin. The others laughed and then settled down to plow through the books they had grabbed, the only sound in the room the flipping of pages and quills scratching on the parchments in front of them.

After about an hour or so, a small chime rang out in the room. They all startled and looked around. Harry calmed himself, then said, "I asked the room for an alarm when it got close to curfew. I guess that was it," he chuckled. "Let's pack up and we can come again tomorrow after dinner to keep working," he said, getting up and starting to put everything away.

Hermione gave Harry a curious look. "Harry, how is it you're able to change the room while we're in here? Usually we have to set the parameters when we're pacing in front to open the door, and they don't usually change unless we leave and ask again. But today, you've been adding things while we've been in here and not even asking out loud. It wasn't something I thought was possible," she said.

"Hmm, not sure Hermione. I just thought of what I wanted and it happened. Maybe that's how it's meant to work? Or maybe Hogwarts herself wants to help?" he mused, almost to himself. "We'll have to experiment with that some more tomorrow. We can try different things and see what works and what doesn't. This may prove pretty invaluable when it comes time to train," Harry answered excitedly.

"Good idea Harry, that just might make a huge difference to how we work the training, and we know it's going to help with the research part since the room so easily gave us what we needed tonight," Hermione said. Shrugging, she gathered up all of the parchments they had been making notes on, ending with a sizeable stack to cart back to the tower with them. "We'll know more when we get a chance to test it. Until then, time to get moving before we run into Filch or, Merlin forbid, Professor Snape," she said with a sly grin.

Harry took a moment to close his eyes, for the first time consciously thinking about what he wanted to ask the room. _"If we come back tomorrow, will we be able to access the same environment as we have today? Will the same books and everything be here for us to use?"_ he thought. He got an overwhelming feeling of agreement, although he couldn't have described it if he tried. He just somehow _knew_ that the room was agreeing with him. It was a bit weird, but still a pretty amazing feeling.

He opened his eyes to find Ron and Hermione looking at him quizzically. He explained, "I was just confirming with the room that we can come back tomorrow and find the same setup. I didn't get a chance to finish the book I was working through, and I wanted to make sure the same books would be available next time. The room said they would be, we just have to ask when we pace to open the door."

Ron looked at him in shock. "Harry, did the room actually speak to you? Like, in words?" he asked incredulously.

Harry shook his head. "No, it was more like a feeling, like I just knew it was agreeing with what I asked. I'm not sure how to explain it, but it somehow managed to get the point across. Now I can't wait to get back and experiment a little, to see what we can accomplish if the room can communicate with us in some way," he said, sounding a little breathless with anticipation. He had a feeling tomorrow was going to be a long day, waiting until they could get back here after dinner.


End file.
